This link will download the Acrobat Reader version (REGISTER.PDF) of the documentation for this software.

You may use either to create a printed copy of the user's guide for Cash Register.

Two purposes.
This cash register software has a split personality. It is designed to be extremely easy to set up and ring sales, or do a heavy duty job of tracking everything that goes on in your store. Since you have to enter the information about your store to track that information, and tell the register what you want it to do, it can't be both very easy to set up and heavy duty at the same time.

"Difficult" is a relative term. To get the most out of this software you will not have to code anything, learn weird formats, or jump through hoops. Basically you will just have to answer a bunch of questions and fill in a lot of information, ie, if you are tracking 600 different items in your store, you will have to tell the program about them. Are you using a printer? Great, tell the program about it.

On the other hand if you just want to have a cash register for a garage sale, or a ticket booth, etc. then load the program, fill in your tax rates (if any), and ring up sales. How can I make it easier than that?

1. It will not validate credit card sales through the computer.

2. It will not use a mouse or any pointing device. Using a mouse is pretty pointless and annoying in a cash register. Just pressing a button is much easier.

3. It will not cost you anything, it's free.

If you write software you may want to write a 'helper' program like those listed at 3rd Party Programs.

If you have surplus POS hardware like receipt printers, pole displays, scanners, cash drawers, etc. rather than throwing it away how about sending it to the address below so I an use it for testing.

As a last resort if this software has saved your business, sanity, and hundreds or thousands of dollars how about mailing $5.00 to...

1. Any IBM or compatable computer running any version of DOS or any version of Windows. For 64 bit computers see the special instructions near the end of this manual.

2. It will print receipts on almost any printer (computer printers and receipt printers) that connects to the computer through the parallel printer port except some Epson Color Stylus printers.

If you have Windows '95 or later you may now print through Windows using the Windows printer drivers. This means that any printer that Windows can print to, this program can also print to. Read the printer port instructions in "Printer setup" to use this feature.

3. Cash drawers connected to a receipt printer will function assuming that the receipt printer itself functions. (See #2, above.)

SOME cash drawers attached to your computer through the serial printer port will function. (See Open Cash Drawer)

4. All barcode scanners of the "keyboard wedge" type and most USB scanners will function. Most scanners connected through the serial printer port will function. (See Scanners)

5. Bematech (formerly "Logic Controls") pole displays have been tested to work with this program. Others may also work as long as they plug into a serial port on your computer. (See Pole displays)

This program will convert any IBM or compatable personal computer into a fully functional cash register.

If you have a network this program can run multiple registers at the same time that will share data files.

This program will print receipts on almost any printer. This includes regular computer printers or specialized cash register printers.

If your printer is connected to the regular parallel printer port you should have no problems.

If your printer connects through a serial port it may be possible to configure this program to directly print on the printer. BUT SERIAL PRINTERS ARE NOT RECOMMENDED FOR USE WITH THIS SOFTWARE.

If your printer is connected to a USB port you can print by using the APRINT program that comes with this software.

If you are using Windows '95 or later you may configure this program to use the Windows printer drivers to print on any printer that Windows can.

You may choose to print receipts either 40 or 80 characters wide. You may choose to print either one or two copies of each receipt with an optional extra receipt for credit sales.

If you can connect two printers to your computer, this program can print receipts to one printer and reports to the other.

If you have a cash register printer and cash drawer combination or a cash drawer connected to your computer through a serial port this program will open the cash drawer at the end of a sale.

This program will print a header and footer on each receipt. You may program it to print up to three coupons on receipts.

This program will optionally save the journal on disk as a text file.

This program will keep track of up to 26,000 different items. For each item it will keep track of a 14 digit stock number, 24 character description, regular price, sale price, tax rate, pieces sold, dollars sold, pieces in inventory, merchandise category, vendor, model stock, warehouse pack, cost and vendor stock number. During a sale you may look up items in the stock table using search features.

This program will keep track of the sales of up to 56 employees and the tips earned by each employee.

This program will print sales reports based on total sales, employee, category, vendor, or a combination of these factors. Reports are printed based on current sales or sales history. Reports can be printed on a printer, saved to disk as a text file or saved to disk as a data file that can then be loaded into your database or spreadsheet software.

This program will record up to the last 10,000 transactions and will display any of them on screen at any time, you may reprint any saved transaction. Only sales in this record, and from the current day, may be voided.

This program will accept customer information (name, address, phone, etc.) and record it on disk and/or print it on receipts. You may export this information to your printer or to a data file that you can then load into any word processing, database, or spread sheet software.

This program will park up to 255 in-progress sales to ring up a new sale.

And of course it will ring up sales and refunds. It will allow you to include discounts, reductions and coupons into your sales. It will print a daily sales report at the end of the day and reset the sales figures for tomorrow.

This program will not tie up your computer. While it can be used as an "always on" cash register you can also exit the program at any time without resetting any sales or merchandise totals. When you restart the cash register all your sales and totals will be right there as though you never left.

This program has the following limitations and will be inappropriate for some business applications. (NOTE: if you set "rounding" to "1" then you may multiply the maximum money amounts below by 100. You may also "round" by 10, 100, 1000 or 10000 for prices up to 9999990000)

Maximum different items in stock table = 26,000: If you use "Sales history" you should not have more than 30,000 different items in your store in an entire year.

Maximum lines per sale = 200: If your customers regularly purchase 180 or more different items per sale, like in a large grocery store, you would have to break up the sale into multiple transactions. NOTE: When you create a register file it will only allow 60 lines in a sale. After you create the register file if you run the RECONVRT.EXE program it will allow you to change the limit to 200.

Maximum items per line = 999: However if you sold 1500 of something you could ring up 999 and 501 of them on two lines.

Maximum salespersons = 56: If you are Wal-mart, why are you looking here?

Maximum price per item = $9,999.99: If you sell yachts, this program is not for you.

Maximum price per line = $999,999.99: If you are a manufacturer who could sell 500 pieces of an $1800.00 item I think that you can afford to purchase a different cash register program.

Maximum sale = $9,999,999.99: See above.

Starting the cash register.
You may receive this software as either a .EXE file or a .ZIP file. This file is actually a compressed archive that contains many other files and must be expanded into the component files before you can use the software. Create a new folder on your computer and copy the file to it. If you have received this program as a .EXE file just click on it to run it, if it is a .ZIP file you will need a program like PKZip or WINZip to expand the file. In either case expanding the file will put many files into the folder.

Run the POS.EXE file to start the cash register program. If there are no .POS files on your drive (and since you just put the program on your computer, there won't be) you will be offered the options of...

1. Run POSCONFG.EXE. 
2. Restart this program.
3. Exit program.

Select [1] Run POSCONFG.EXE.

After a few title screens you will now be asked to enter a file name for your register, an access code, and a name for your register.

An access code is important. Unless he knows the access code someone cannot use the POSCONFG.EXE program to change the .POS file and change the setting on your cash register. Even more important is that the access code will be required to close the register and reset the daily totals. Since in minimum mode this register will not keep a journal of every transaction you would have no way of knowing if a sales person closed out and reset the register during the day. This would mean that at the end of the day you would only receive an accounting of part of that day's sales.

Access code are encrypted before being stored. However I am not the NSA, the method of encryption is not super complex and a competent programmer with enough time and desire could recover an access code from the file.

The Register Name is displayed behind the main menu of the main cash register program. When you are finished entering data press [TAB] and you will be offered the options of...

1. Configure this register.
2. Run this register in minimal mode.

For "minimal mode" choose option #2 and after 4 screens of general information you will come to 2 screens of sales tax info, read them.

On the tax rate screen enter the general merchandise tax rate for your location as tax rate #1. For example if food at your location is taxed at 2% and medicine is taxed at 1.5% and gasoline is taxed at 8% and everything else is taxed at 5% then you will enter 5.000% as tax rate #1. The other tax rates will be entered as rates #2 to #9.

The tax rate screen will have two columns where you can enter tax rates. Unless your location requires two different taxes on the same item, for example a federal tax and a provincial tax that must be tracked separately, then only fill out the LEFT column of tax rates. For more information on setting tax rates go to the "Tax rates" section of this manual.

When you exit the tax data screen your cash register will start.

If you are on a screen with many options, one will be highlighted. Use the arrow keys to move the highlight to the option you want (or press a number key) and then press [ENTER] to selected it.

To cancel an option or get back to where you came from press [ESC]

If you are on an option that can be toggled, say between YES / NO or ON / OFF or 40 / 80 or anything else press [TAB] to do the toggling.

If you are entering a number press [DELETE] to erase the number or [INSERT] to restore the number to its original value. NOTE sometimes numbers cannot be changed until you erase them first.

If you are entering text try using [HOME], [END], or [CTRL] + arrows to see what happens. Pressing [INSERT] will allow you to insert text instead of overwriting it.

Pressing [F2] will usually pop up a calculator on the screen. The calculator is not available when an error screen is displayed.

Only from the main menu of the Cash Register program can you press [F9] to put the program to sleep.

Ringing a sale.
Now that you have started your cash register you will now see the main menu for the Cash Register...

1. Purchase            - Ring up a sale.
2. Return              - Ring up a refund.
3. File Maintainance   - Run POSCONFG.EXE program,
                         Set tax rates,
4. No Sale-Cash in/out - Tracks cash pulls and drops.
5. Void                - Does nothing in minimum mode.
6. Lock Register       - Lock register.
7. Close Register      - Display and reset daily sales totals.
8. Reports             - Display / print sales report.
9. Associates          - Does nothing in minimum mode.

PURCHASE / RETURN
Following is much more information than a normal person familiar with computers would need to use this program. Basically you read the screen to see what options you have. Press the buttons listed to access those options. Fill in the information you are asked for, ie. if asked for the amount tendered type in the money that the customer gives you and press [ENTER]. If asked for a phone number, enter a phone number. In my store this was known as the register for the brain dead. If you could read English you could use it with about 5 minutes of practice. If "1. Purchase" is highlighted press [ENTER] to see the purchase screen...

You enter information at the bottom of the screen for price and quantity and the information is listed above. At the lower right of the screen is a running total of the purchase.

You first enter the price of the item you are ringing up. If the tax rate listed is incorrect press [F7] until the correct rate is listed, a 0% rate is always available. Press [ENTER] when the price and tax rate are correct. You may now enter the number of pieces to be sold. If you are selling something by length or weight you may press [.] to enter decimal pieces (###.###). For example, if you are selling 5 3/8 yards of something that is sold by the yard you may enter 5.375 pieces. Press [ENTER] when the pieces are correct or press [F11] or [ESC] to go back to the price. When the pieces are entered, line #1 will be filled in at the top of the screen and the "Purchase" section will be filled in. You may now enter additional items to the sale. If you enter more than 10 lines to this sale the screen will display lines 11 to 20. By pressing [PAGE UP] or [PAGE DOWN] you may view other pages if they have merchandise listed on them. A maximum of 60 lines (6 pages) is possible in one transaction. (200 lines if you use the RECONVRT.EXE program to make the change.)

If you press [F5] you may void one line of this sale or the entire sale. Pressing [F9] will allow you to reduce the price on the last line entered or all of the lines of the sale. You may reduce the price by a dollar amount for each item or a percentage of the price. You may also do a coupon reduction which is a dollar reduction for the entire sale.

Notice how any key you need to press to do anything is listed on the screen.

When you have entered the last item press [+] to total out the sale. You will now be asked if the customer wishes to pay by cash, check, or credit.

Cash
Enter the amount of money the customer gives you or just press [ENTER] for exact change, the change due to the customer will be displayed. If the customer gives you a different amount, say hands you an additional 12 cents then just re-enter the amount tenderd for a new change due. If you press [ENTER] without entering a new amount you will return to the main menu.

Check
In minimum mode you will only be asked for the amount of the check, similar to CASH above. In enhanced modes you will be asked for customer information to be printed on the receipt.

Credit
You will be shown the total amount to be charged to the credit card.

RETURN
Returns work just like a purchase except that the amounts are subtracted. At the end of the sale you are shown the amount to be returned to the customer.

CLOSE REGISTER
You will be shown the day's sales broken down into cash, check, and credit transactions for both purchases and returns along with the transaction counts for each type of sale. Sales tax collected is broken down by tax rate. Since in minimum mode you have not setup the use of a printer the program cannot print a closing receipt.

"Close register" will display the current sales rung up for today. You may then either return to the cash register, close the register by printing out the closing receipt and then resetting the sales totals to zero, or exit the program without closing and leaving the sales totals intact.

Now that you know the least that this program can do in minimum mode, it is time to start thinking of enhanced modes and what this program can really do.

SO WHAT GOOD IS MINIMUM MODE?
Well, it is very easy to set up.

It does not require any equipment other than the computer.

It does the math. Quick: What is 4 items at $1.98, plus 3 items at $5.49, plus 1 item at $9.88, plus tax? Kind of tough even with a calculator isn't it? But it is no problem for this program.

It will tell you your daily sales at any time.

It will do the original function of a cash register. You can compare the sales on the register to the money in the cash box.

WHAT KIND OF BUSINESSES CAN USE MINIMUM MODE?
Minimum mode is suggested for very small or temporary businesses, such as a garage sale, newspaper stand, a snack bar or a ticket booth at high school sports tournaments, library fines, school book sales, school carnivals, flea markets, towel fees.

After a couple of screens of instructions and warranty information you will come to a screen where you may either pick a register file or create a new one. If you created a minimal register using the POS program, choose it. If not, then create a new file by pressing [TAB] and entering a file name, password, and register name.

The password that you enter when creating a file is very important. It is the master password for your register. To use the POSCONFG.EXE program to again access your .POS file to change the operation of your cash register you will have to enter the master password. In addition, the master password overrides all other passwords. For example, if you set a password to access the tax table from the POS program you can then access the tax table by entering the tax password or the master password. A special use for the master password involves the stock table. Some parts of the stock table can only be changed if you access it by using the master password. If you access the table by using the stock table password only portions of the table can be changed.

Passwords in this program are encrypted before being stored. However I am not the NSA, the method of encryption is not super complex and passwords could be recovered from the file by a competent programmer with enough time and desire.

Multiple Registers
If there are no .POS files on your disk drive, then when you start the POS register program the program will offer you the options of either running the POSCONFG.EXE program to create a .POS file or making a minimal register (which will also create a minimal .POS file.)

If there is ONE .POS file on the disk drive the register program will load the file and open the register. You will not be given the option of starting a new .POS file.

If there are two or more .POS files on the disk drive the register program will ask you which register you want to load. In effect you may have multiple, different registers on the same computer. This means TOTALLY different. Different function settings, different stock table, different employees, different transaction numbers, different everything. Try to remember that the computer is NOT your register, the software is. The POS.EXE file runs your register, the .POS file (and like named files) IS your register.

Advantages to multiple registers.
You may set up a TRAINING.POS file that mirrors your actual .POS file and is used to train new employees. Anything done using the TRAINING.POS register would have no effect on the real register. If you are running a flea market each "store" would have its own register on one computer. If you are teaching a course in retail operations each class or each student could have its "own" register. If you are running a chain of stores you could set up the registers for each store on one register and then distribute them to the individual stores.

Disadvantages to multiple registers.
If you are not in your store and a sale is rung up, was it rung up on the "real" register or a "phantom" register? Your customer sees the sale rung up on a computer, he gets a receipt with the correct store info on it, he would have no way of knowing that the sale was rung up on a phony register.

If this worries you, then have only one .POS file on your computer and do not leave the POSCONFG.EXE file on the computer. Additionally if you name your register file MYSTORE then the MYSTORE.POS file will automatically be loaded when the POS program starts, all other .POS files will be ignored.

Main Menu
Once you create a new register or are accessing an existing one, you will be presented with this list of features that you may enhance in your register.

If you are planning on running multiple registers in your store over a network you may want to read the network instructions first.

As you move the lightbar over these features a short description of each feature will appear at the bottom of the screen. When the lightbar highlights the feature you wish to enhance press [ENTER].